by Michael Todd
When her friend was ready, he would leave a message draft for her on a shared email which would provide her with details on where to open the message board again. Until then, she could do nothing but wait. She hoped that the person who scouted the place wouldn’t trigger any alarms. Since she had her metaphorical and digital fingers on the pulse of that alarm, she would know the minute it happened, if it did. And, without doubt, she would be thoroughly disappointed.
It was, of course, very unlikely that either a rookie mistake or disappointment would occur. Anja had worked with her mob-connected friend for a few years already, and while they had never done something quite this high-profile before, she knew she could rely on him to come through for her.
Or maybe her? Anja wasn’t quite sure. Ambiguity was a big part of their working relationship.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Security around these places was never a joke. Rich people took protection very seriously and usually went so far as to have their alarms contact private security contractors as well as the local police once anyone was stupid enough to trigger them. Fortunately, the entire premise of the security system had been based around the fact that a ton of people with guns would immediately head in once a signal was triggered. Very few people ever really considered the fact that if an alarm was never triggered, the cavalry wouldn’t arrive.
The simple expediency of hacking into the security company’s personnel logs gave the thief an ID to work with. A couple of calls to the people who handled the account tied to Covington’s apartment provided the details of the security system in place at her home as well as access to the live logs of when the security was turned on and off. This yielded pertinent and very helpful details.
Motion sensors were only turned on when no one was at home but were left off when she was there, which left only the perimeter alarms. The thief retrieved the information about how the security was set up, including details that only the alarm company would know about, Again, it was useful—where the alarm itself was located, how it could be disconnected, and how to prevent it from being logged into the system.
Every person who spoke to her would have commented only on how polite and professional their superior was before she hung up. The thief made free use of a different name every time and so left nothing to tie her back to the line of questioning.
Her next step was to park a delivery company van in front of the building. It was a tried and tested way to scout a property while setting up a heist and gave her sufficient time to obtain a good visual. The apartment she would take on came as no real surprise. It boasted a high level of security with a significant number of humans between the thief and the laptop.
That really was nothing that couldn’t be handled. Human error was the kind of thing people in her profession relied on. Machines were difficult to beat, but when humans operated them, it almost felt like cheating except that there was no real honor system in place. There weren’t any awards for people who played by the somewhat arbitrary rules of thievery. On the other hand, many people acquired a hefty payout by breaking those rules.
The thief gripped a package and approached the entrance, dressed in the coveralls of a delivery company that was known to make their deliveries to the doors of their clients. There weren’t many people whom she trusted with this kind of job, but she was more than willing to do it herself. She gave the name and apartment number of a place where she had previously confirmed the people were home. If they didn’t expect a delivery—which obviously would be the case—she would simply take it back.
The security guard who manned the door was deeply engrossed in some playoff basketball game, a useful distraction she had planned for. It meant that he wouldn’t notice if the delivery took a little longer than normal. She’d made a note of that when a pizza delivery guy went up to the pool on the roof of the building to have a smoke and stayed there for over half an hour.
She used the elevator to take her to the floor that she’d carefully selected to allow her access to Covington’s apartment. The small but very wealthy family would no doubt be having dinner at about this time. She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open the door.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long before the husband greeted her. After some awkward flirting—which she was used to considering her red hair and darker skin which gave her an exotic look that appealed to some—he realized that she wasn’t interested, told her quickly that they hadn’t ordered anything, and shut the door in her face. She didn’t mind his dismissal, although she was tempted to drop the wife a line about how her husband was in the market for a little on-the-side shenanigans.
Temptation would have to wait, though. She sprinted through the stairwell and reached the penthouse a few seconds later. Careful to remain out of view should anyone step out of the elevator, she tapped her phone to deactivate the security system and route it through a device that she’d placed under the manhole cover she’d parked her van in front of. The door unlocked too, which provided her with a quick and easy path to the safe under the Covington woman’s bed.
Despite all the other elaborate measures in place, the safe was a simple design made mostly for the peace of mind of the person who owned it instead of actual security. This made it easy—given that she’d done extensive research on her target—to guess the four-digit code and gain access. She retrieved the laptop, checked it for tracking devices, and made sure to gather all the accoutrements that were needed to run a laptop like this. Satisfied, she slid the device into her delivery bag. After a moment’s thought, she grinned and placed the delivery box containing a cheap teddy bear in the safe.
There wasn’t any real reason why she did this other than the fact that she wanted to fuck around with the woman. From the research she’d done over the past couple of days, there was every indication that she was the scum of the earth.
There were some depths that even she—thief though she might be—wouldn’t ever sink to. She made her way out of the apartment with no further delay, locked everything once more, and took the cameras off the loop her friend had programmed in. Her mission now accomplished, she jogged down the stairs and took the elevator to where the security guard remained enthralled by his game of choice.
The man paid even less attention to her than he had when she’d arrived, which gave her all the time in the world to leave the complex. She’d leave the van, which was stolen and would probably be reported come morning. Instead, she peeled the coveralls off to reveal a black biker’s outfit and tossed the uniform through the open window of the vehicle. She donned the helmet she’d left on the front seat and strolled casually to where she’d parked her motorcycle. The beast came alive with a low, satisfying thrum and she revved it a few times before she accelerated away with the laptop stowed safely in her bag.
When she came into view of the highway, she pulled over, tugged her phone out of her pocket, and dialed the only number on speed dial.
“Package secure,” she said when her call was answered with no greeting. “Awaiting delivery details.”
“Delivery will be in the Johannesburg airport.” The reply was spoken in a metallic, heavily disguised voice. “Tickets have been delivered to your email address. Second payment to be wired on delivery. Plane leaves from LAX in two hours.”
She nodded, even though the person on the other end couldn’t see her. The line went dead and she turned the phone off and threw it onto the road in front of her bike before gunning the engine once more. She made sure to run both wheels over the device before she roared away.
Courtney’s phone buzzed in her pocket as she and Robinson waited at one of the coffee shops in Johannesburg. After a message from Anja to confirm the delivery process, she had managed to convince Robinson that they could afford to spend a half day in the city to take in the sights, although they didn’t move too far out of range of the airport. She was ready for the delivery as soon as she was alerted to it, begged a moment to head to the bathroom, and took her carry-on with her.
She’d been sure to bring one according to the specifications provided. It was, of course, empty and had been recently purchased to hold souvenirs she hadn’t even bought. She paused and bent to tie her shoelace. A tall woman with darker skin and bright red hair came into view, moved closer, and bumped clumsily into the bag Monroe had deliberately left a step or two behind her.
The transition was certainly the smoothest that Courtney had ever seen. So much so that she wondered if a magician’s skills were involved. If she hadn’t actually watched, she wouldn’t have noticed that the bags had been switched. She kept her expression carefully neutral as she moved on with the new bag into the ladies’ room to confirm that a high-end laptop was included in the contents.
She used a new phone to rapidly send a message to Anja to confirm that the package had been delivered and that the second payment could be cleared.
As casual as ever, she returned to where she’d left Robinson. He didn’t offer much acknowledgment of her return other than a quick nod of the head.
“I really hope that cat needs her laptop again soon,” he said mildly.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Madigan was annoyed. She had wanted to pick Courtney up herself, but after the fight and the damage caused to the Hammerheads, Amanda had refused her access to any of the ATVs until she had them repaired and back to the way she liked them. It wasn’t fair, Madigan thought with a voluble growl and hurried to the gate when she heard the rumble of a heavy vehicle approaching. She hadn’t even driven anything on that mission. It wasn’t like she intended to drive around and crash the shit intentionally.
As she opened the gate manually, the armorer inched the vehicle in closer, obviously taking extra care. There weren’t too many people who treated their ATVs the way she did—like calling them her babies and getting angry and sullen when they were mistreated. Like an actual baby, or a favored pet, for crying out loud.
As the ATV slowed to a halt, Madigan’s gaze settled on a man who exited the vehicle alongside her friend. She hadn’t ever been much of a fan of the arrangement that had been reached between Courtney and herself to keep Sal between them. Now, when she saw the man—tall, blond and built like a supermodel—she wondered if there would be any trouble. She remembered how depressed Sal had been when their partner had decided that she would stay in LA.
Her doubts about Courtney’s dedication to her relationship with Sal quickly dissipated as he exited the building with a broad smile on his face. Courtney let out an ear-splitting squeal when she saw him. It was very undignified but certainly got the message across as she streaked across the courtyard and almost bowled him over. It was to his credit that he didn’t fall down under the tackle and managed to catch her smoothly out of the air. It seemed like his daily dose from Madie had certainly helped him with useful bulk and strength.
Courtney responded enthusiastically and quickly covered his lips, cheeks, and neck with a horde of kisses. Both Madigan and the new man looked a little uncomfortable at the open display of affection, even if they were two close friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while.
“Hi,” the man finally said, turned to Kennedy, and offered her his hand. “The name’s Allen. Allen Robinson.”
“Madigan Kennedy,” she replied with a smile and shook his hand, surprised at how firm it was. Where had Courtney come across this delightful specimen?
“Oh, you must be Madie!” He grinned. “Courtney’s told me so much about you.”
“She must have told you that it’s Madigan, not Madie,” she responded, and her smile was a little forced.
“Oh, right. There was some mention about that, yeah.” Allen looked genuinely abashed.
“Okay, that’s enough, break it up, lovebirds. There’s plenty of time for that later,” Madigan said when she realized that the other two were still tangled in their embrace. “For now, we need time to get everybody up to speed on what’s happened and what will probably happen in the next few days. Shall we?”
“Of course.” Sal pulled away from the other woman and his cheeks looked more than a little flushed. If Madigan’s eyes didn’t deceive her, he had heated up someplace else, as well.
She chuckled and wiggled her eyebrows. “Hold it in, cowboy.”
“Will do, cowgirl,” he responded a little sheepishly.
The group trooped into the social room where Anja waited for them. She looked…different. Sal frowned at her, unsure exactly what she had done, but… Well, her hair was tied back, she wore makeup, and for once, she actually looked like she hadn’t stepped out of a thirty-hour marathon at her computer.
Sal narrowed his eyes as her gaze settled on Allen Robinson, who moved over to her. She was… Holy shit, was she blushing?
“Hi, I’m Allen,” the man said and proffered his hand.
Anja’s eyes widened like she was about to have a panic attack but she steeled herself and shook his hand firmly. “Anja. I manage the cyber security around here.”
“Courtney’s told me a lot of about your work,” he said warmly. “That’s an impressive resume.”
“Thanks.” The hacker looked flustered and continued hastily, “Do you have something for me?”
“I sure do.” Allen withdrew the laptop from his bag and handed it to her.
“Thanks, I’ll get right on it.” She tucked it hastily under her arm and made her way to the server room. Amanda intercepted her and pulled her to a halt outside.
“Come on, where are you going in such a hurry?” the armorer asked and regarded her a little suspiciously.
“I want to get right to work on this.” The Russian deliberately avoided looking at Allen as he took in his surroundings.
“Oh, my,” Amanda said with a teasing grin. “Does someone have a crush on someone? As a gay woman, I do have to say that one is a tasty dish. If you’re into that sort of stuff. Which…you are?”
Anja shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it’s about time that we have more sausages around this place. It’s become a little too estrogen-heavy for me.”
Her companion’s grin widened. “Well, if you’re not too picky about having a man attached, I have a couple of ‘sausages’ you can use. Some plug in, some use batteries, and most are ribbed for your pleasure.” She winked when Anja blushed furiously and decided it was the blush of a woman who had her own collection.
“So, this Allen guy,” Sal said in a low voice to Madigan. “Would you say that he’s…good looking in any way?”
“Oh no, of course not,” Madigan said and shook her head firmly. “Not unless you know any women who like chiseled good looks, a sexy hint of scruff on the chin, an athlete-slash-model’s build, and the intelligent look he gets from those glasses.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Well, that’s plain mean.”
“In fairness, I’d say that you have him beat in more than a few ways, most of which Courtney’s already been privy to, so there’s no need to feel insecure.”
“I don’t feel insecure,” he protested. “You feel insecure.”
“I’ll let you take a minute to think about that,” she responded tartly, and her eyes twinkled with mischief. “In the meantime, I think we need to get together to have a quick sharing session about what it is that we all know.”
“Well, I think it’s fairly basic,” Courtney said as she dropped on one of the couches and brought her legs up under her. “Something along the line of Covington stealing my father’s intellectual property for Pegasus—which we hopefully stole right back—my mom is somehow involved, and while there’s a fair degree of suspicion that my father was actually murdered instead of dying of natural causes, there isn’t any proof left to confirm it.”
“That or there were way too many people who very conveniently knew he would die at a specific time.” Madigan sat beside Courtney and toyed with her hair.
“Let’s not forget that your mother was involved somehow,” Allen added. He seemed determined not to let that particular truth be buried by other issues. If it were at all pos
sible, he disliked her as much as his boss did.
“You mentioned that the metal wouldn’t work in the Zoo but that it does work outside.” Sal sounded curious, although his expression was serious. “You told us that but you never explained in any detail.”
“Oh, I have all that information on a memory disk,” she confirmed. “I’ll share it with you, but the gist is that the resonance from the goop in the trees and other plants somehow undermines the integrity of the alloy they created. The longer that it remains in close proximity to the goop and the radiation it causes, the weaker the stuff gets.”
“Huh,” he grunted disapprovingly. “And how the hell does Pegasus not know about this?”
“My dad ran a couple of tests, but they were shut down immediately once Pegasus snapped up the proprietary claims on the metal,” she said. “They essentially ignored everything he had to say about it, while they still stole all his intelligence. These guys are loaded with cash but are plain butt-fucking dumb when it comes to how the Zoo operates.”
“This might be something we could run past the colonel,” Madigan interjected. “He’s still waiting on an update on the stuff we pulled from the hard drive. I don’t think we have enough to get back to him with, but this might be something he’d be interested to know.”
“I had a request from the colonel to look into a new special test that Pegasus will run in the Zoo,” she continued. “Yesterday, he sent me a message saying that he wants to sign us up to see if it’s a Zoo issue or maybe pirates or someone who shouldn’t be attacked.”
“Send him a response and tell him we want to meet,” Sal said.
“Do I want to know who this colonel is?” Courtney asked with a slightly anxious expression.
“He’s a guy who’s fed us intel on Pegasus over the past few months,” Sal clarified. “He’s worked with them a lot and doesn’t much care for what they’ve been up to, so he feeds us what he knows to see if we can’t disrupt their operations somewhat.”
